Are just pre-reqs enough for med school admission?

[Member2223]

This is for a career changer who needs to fulfill all pre-reqs.

At my university, everything is sequential and the fastest that all courses can be fulfilled in sequence is 1.5 to 2 years for around 35-38 credits. These are mostly 100 to 200 level courses, with Biochem being a 400 level. In this plan, I could also throw in a Stats course plus anatomy&physiology.

The sequence: Gen chem I & II > Organic Chem I & II > Molecular Bio > Biochem | Gen Bio I & II and Physics I & II have no sequence

Goro mentioned that for a DIY post-bacc, it's recommended to take courses that mimic a medical school curriculum: Anatomy, Biochem, Bioinformatics, Biostats, Cell Bio, Epidemiology, Histology, Immunology, Genetics, Neuroscience or Neurobiology, Pathology, Physiology, etc...

The issue is that is these are all upper level courses at my university and are only accessible once the tail-end of the pre-reqs are fulfilled. It seems that these mimic more of a SMP program.

My questions:

• Is it ok for a non-trad applicant to have mainly pre-reqs on his post-bacc transcript without detracting from his/her competitiveness for medical school admission?
• I'll be juggling clinical experience, research, and volunteering along with my post-bacc, would that make up for the lack of full time status?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[chilly_md]

Some schools may require upper division elective credit in a biology class or two (molecular bio seems like one in your case). Doing several courses like immunology, pathology and neurobiology is for students who need to reinvent themselves after not doing so well in science courses in undergrad. If you are career changing from a completely different area, then just the pre-reqs should be fine.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Yes

 

[petomed]

• Is it ok for a non-trad applicant to have mainly pre-reqs on his post-bacc transcript without detracting from his/her competitiveness for medical school admission?
  • Yes pre-req's on their own are enough, provided this is all that is required by the particular school you send your app to. As has been mentioned, some schools will require additional upper level coursework beyond the minimum at other universities.
  • If you can make A's and it doesn't waylay your time to apply, then take upper levels because this will increase your competitiveness.
• I'll be juggling clinical experience, research, and volunteering along with my post-bacc, would that make up for the lack of full time status?
  • Yes. Calculate out how many hours each week you're spending on coursework + volunteer/research activities. I typically multiply the number of cred hrs by 4 to get the number of academic hours each week.
  • For example, taking 12 credits --> 48 hrs of academics. Then if you're also volunteering or researching for 20 hrs each week, your documentable time becomes 48 + 20 = 68. I would recommend shooting for 60 - 65 total documentable hrs/wk to show you're keeping 'busy'.

Lastly, I recommend taking biochem and anatomy before entering medical school. Biochem is a required pre-req at some schools, so taking the course will open doors for you. Anatomy will help you survive the medical school curriculum in your first year, as you will be able to re-learn things you've already seen much quicker than those who have never seen the vocabulary before. All the other courses you listed beyond these two are, in my opinion, a waste of time and money--unless you need them for GPA repair or a required upper-level prereq to apply to a certain medical school.

 

[Member2223]

@chilly_md @petomed

Hello, I apologize for revamping an old thread but I would really appreciate both of your advice as I prepare for my upcoming post-bacc semester.

I'm a dual-case in being both career changer from a completely different area, but also needing GPA repair.

During my 1st semester in college, I performed very poorly in 7 science credits (Bio: D+, GenChem: W, GenChem Lab: D+). For the remainder of my my undergrad I did not take any further science courses, and graduated with a 3.0 cGPA majoring in the humanities.

I've just completed all pre-reqs for my post-bacc and have maintained a 4.0 across 40 BCPM credits over the course of 1 year. This upcoming semester I plan to take Biochem (400 level), Molecular Bio (200 level), and Genetics (300 level) for an additional 10 credits, which I believe will be the end of my post-bacc. Upon completion (and assuming a 4.0 this semester as well), my cGPA would be a 3.37 and sGPA of 3.68 (AMCAS)/3.79 (AACOMAS).

Would it be disadvantageous in my situation to not extend my post-bacc further and take more upper division courses?

I was under the presumption that this approach is more geared towards those who have performed poorly across a high number of BCPM credits during their undergrad, but I am afraid that it may apply to my situation as well given my 1st semester performance in my science courses (though only 7 credits).

 

[chilly_md]

No you would be fine with your plan. You have clearly showed you are a different student than 1st semester you. Well done.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

No you would be fine with your plan. You have clearly showed you are a different student than 1st semester you. Well done.

I agree. Check with the schools closest to you.

 

[Member2223]

I agree. Check with the schools closest to you.

Thank you for the reassurance. Do you mean to check course requirements on MSAR or reach out to the admissions office specifically about my situation?

 

[Goro]

Some schools may require upper division elective credit in a biology class or two (molecular bio seems like one in your case). Doing several courses like immunology, pathology and neurobiology is for students who need to reinvent themselves after not doing so well in science courses in undergrad. If you are career changing from a completely different area, then just the pre-reqs should be fine.

Concur 100%

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thank you for the reassurance. Do you mean to check course requirements on MSAR or reach out to the admissions office specifically about my situation?

Yes to both.